Sometimes Islands (Lake Travis, Texas + Kodiak Island, Alaska)

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

This area of Texas (Hill Country) needs water. Lake Travis (at Austin)  has
the "Sometimes Islands"--when the water level goes down (as it is now),
they're islands. As quoted in today's Austin American-Statesman: "Those are the
Sometimes Islands. Sometimes they're there, sometimes they're not."
...
Any first citation for "Sometimes Islands"? Is the name used for any lake
anywhere else? There appears to be a "Sometime Island" at Kodiak in Alaska.
Anywhere else? HDAS? OED? DARE?
...
...
...
(GOOGLE NEWS)
_Central Texas may face water restrictions if region stays  dry_
(http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/10/10river.html)
Austin American-Statesman  (subscription), TX -  <NOBR>20 ho
"Those are the Sometimes Islands," said Robert Cullick, a  spokesman for the
LCRA. "Sometimes they're there, sometimes they're not.  ...
...
...
SOMETIMES ISLANDS + LAKE TRAVIS--228 Google hits
SOMETIMES ISLAND + LAKE--836 Google hits
SOMETIMES ISLAND + KODIAK--245 Google hits
...
...
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_http://www.kkn.net/archives/html/QRP-L/1997-04/msg01830.html_
(http://www.kkn.net/archives/html/QRP-L/1997-04/msg01830.html)
    Subject:  QRPTTF - Sometimes Island & Last Sighting of Elvis  (long)
From:  "Gary R. Hanson" <_ghanson at uts.cc.utexas.edu_
(mailto:ghanson at uts.cc.utexas.edu) >  Date:  Wed, 23 Apr 1997 09:30:28 -0600  Reply-to:
_ghanson at uts.cc.utexas.edu_ (mailto:ghanson at uts.cc.utexas.edu)

Hi Gang,



Only a QRPer would consider operating "maritime" mobile from Central

Texas, but I'll be hovering over "Sometimes" Island in the middle of

Lake Travis, Texas on my sailboat with a 20 meter rotatable dipole

(Frank-G3YCC's version) and a 40 meter sloper antenna from atop the 26ft

mast.



Lake Travis is a "small" Texas lake about 15 miles west of Austin and

the water level will rise and fall about 30 feet over the course of any

given year depending on rain fall and the water release from the dam.

When the water level is low, the "sometimes" islands appear and when

it's high, well... they disappear.



The last time we saw the islands in Lake Travis, the spirt of Elvis made

an appearance.  In the middle of the island, a LARGE black velvet

painting of Elvis, a pair of blude suede shoes, and  a sofa all

mysteriously arrived over night and stayed all summer.  Over a few weeks

time, the stones on the island re-arranged themselves (?) into a "WE

LOVE YOU, ELVIS" message.  It became a popular shrine and boatloads of

people would come to have their picture taken with Elvis. The Sometimes

Islands are now 25 feet under water, but as far as we now the painting,

shoes and sofa are still there.  Is this weird enough?



My plan is to anchor over the island and use the power of Elvis's spirit

to give my RF a 10db boost.  I'll be signing KJ5VW/mm.  Look for me.



I'm taking my MXM-40, NW20 and WM-20 (SSB at the top of the hour).  Of

course, we have a 50% chance of severe thunderstorms predicted for

Saturday.  I won't be sitting under a 26-foot aluminum mast in the

middle of the lake during a Texas thunderboomer for very long.



Catch me if you can!



See you Saturday,



Gary, KJ5VW

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